Family Stories

When Daniel was turning 22, he was getting ready to exit school and that’s when the Arc of the South Shore came back into Daniel’s life. Early on, Daniel was diagnosed with Autism and the family reached out to The Arc’s Early Intervention program.

After graduating from Early Intervention, which mom Tricia says was life changing, Daniel entered the public school system and would be there until he turned 22. Upon turning 22, Daniel “graduated” from school but had no funding for a Day program and no services from DDS. Daniel’s mom Tricia had to quit her job to stay home and care for Daniel. Tricia heard about The Arc’s Adult Family Care (AFC) program and called Katie, The Director of the program.

The Adult Family Care is a Mass Health program which pays family/non family members to provide care to a loved one. The money the Noble’s received from the AFC program helped to cover their living costs and the staff provided some much needed support and guidance. Within a couple of months of being part of the AFC program, Tricia also became involved with the Arc’s Family Support program.

The Family Support program provides information and referral, educational forums, assistance in navigating services, and some social and recreational opportunities. With the help of the Family Support staff, Tricia was able to secure funding for Daniel so that he could attend a day program. Daniel also joined the Special Olympics swim team and in his first year he won 2 gold medals and 1 silver. ( The picture is of Daniel waiting to receive his gold medal at Harvard University.) Daniel is now 23 years old, loving his Day program, excited for swimming to start, and hoping to work with animals in the near future. Tricia has said that “without The Arc’s AFC and Family Supports programs, I don’t know where we would be right now. “I couldn’t have gone through this process without their support, knowledge, and compassion. I can’t say enough about how outstanding The Arc has been. They have helped in so many ways and anytime I need anything, they are there to help.” Tricia also says that “ I am so proud of how far Daniel has come, where he is today, and excited about thefuture. I know The Arc of the South Shore will continue the journey with us and I couldn’t be more grateful.”